I very much hope to be in this Committee, because it is such an important committee to the Nation and to New Mexico.

I'm sorry that we are losing Senator Salazar as a member of this committee and a member of the Senate, but I'm delighted by his nomination.

So, we will have a balanced approach to the development of our natural resources.

For far too long, the Native American communities... have been left far behind.

In my view, President-elect Obama could not have chosen a better nominee.

The water challenges of America are important to all of us.

I know that President-elect Obama is going to make a priority, I think, out of cleaning up hazardous waste sites.

I think it is great that President-elect Obama is proceeding and has put your nomination forward, a career person who has worked in this area.

I hope you will be very aggressive about telling us where you think there are the holes, the loopholes in the law that need to be filled.

President Obama has bold plans for addressing the major environmental issues of this century.

Again, I want to emphasize that by doing so, then we will send a message to other workers in other parts of the country that as we clean up places like Hanford, we work in Ohio and Oklahoma and South Carolina, Nevada, that those promises…

I look forward to supporting your confirmation on the Senate floor when that occurs.

I would like a commitment from you that once you are confirmed, that you take a close look at these three issues, ongoing cleanup, worker health, and property damage claims.

I wanted to receive assurances from you that you will continue to focus on that commitment and make sure those resources are forthcoming.

Dr. Chu's nomination comes at a pivotal time in the Department's history.

I hear good things about you. I think you are on a road to a successful confirmation.

It is customary, however, for the Senate to confirm noncontroversial cabinet nominations at the beginning of a new Administration by unanimous consent without first referring them to committee.

Global warming is a threat multiplier for instability and will fuel political turmoil.